Public Bill Committee

[Mr. Roger Gale in the Chair]

David Heath: On a point of order, Mr. Gale. May I offer my apologies to the Committee and to the House for an inadvertent discourtesy. I was not present for the Second Reading Committee. The reason why I was not present was that I never intended to be present, nor was anyone expecting me to be present because my hon. Friend the Member for Cambridge was due to speak for our party on the Bill, but by transcription error his name, which is very similar to mine, was omitted and mine was added to the list of members. I was unaware that I was meant to be here; he looked at the list and found that he was not on the Committee and therefore did not attend. So I apologise.

Roger Gale: I am not entirely certain that that was a matter for the Chair, but it is a matter for the record, and it is now on the record.
I have no desire whatever to curtail Back-Bench debate, but I am advised that there is nothing to be added to the comprehensive Second Reading Committee debate. May I have an indication as to whether any member of the Committee has anything that they wish to add to what took place in that debate? I take hon. Members silence as a no.

Clauses 1 to 21 ordered to stand part of the Bill.

Schedules 1 to 4 agreed to.

Bill to be reported, without amendment.

Committee rose.